What the Heart Wants
by Theatregirl7
Summary: "This is wrong. I…I have a boyfriend." "The heart wants what the heart wants, Mara."  One-shot. R&R


Mara Jaffray was the good girl. Smarty pants. Nerd. Goody two-shoes. Follower of the rules. Bookworm.

As the good girl, (or whatever you want to call her) Mara always strived to do the right thing. Sure, she'd had her slip ups (cheating on the French test for Mick, and taking those pictures that she sent to Mr. Sweet.) but she had fixed those problems and came clean to them.

But sometimes, Mara wasn't quite sure what was the right thing. You see, she had this predicament. Nothing big, of course. Only the fact that she liked someone who isn't her boyfriend. No big deal, right? (Note the sarcasm)

Mara was extremely distressed by this. She didn't feel sparks around Mick anymore, in fact she was a nervous wreck around him these days. The guilt was gnawing at her constantly. She was skittish whenever Mick was in the same room as him, afraid that somehow Mick would find out and take it out on him. This was all really Mara's fault, but she knows that Mick would never take it out on her. Mick wanted to believe that it was his fault. Mick was dying to pick a fight with him.

But when Mara was away from Mick, when it was just her and him she felt safe and like she could truly be herself.

But she shouldn't feel that way because he's…

Jerome Clarke. The Jokester. Trouble maker. Prankster. Funny guy. Not afraid to break the rules. And the type of guy she's supposed to fall for.

Mara knew this. She knew it was wrong to feel this way about him. But she couldn't help it. He was always there, in the back of her mind. Even when she should've been studying for her English exam right now, she was still thinking of him.

She threw her pencil down in frustration. It was no use; she was not going to get any studying done tonight. She put her head in her hands and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

She decided she needed a break from her cram studying session, and pushed her chair away from her desk.

She turned off the lamp on her desk and checked to make sure Patricia was still asleep. It was well after curfew, and the house was quiet, filled with only sounds of deep breathing.

Mara slowly opened the creaky door to the hallway and crept down the stairs.

The air in Anubis house hung with humidity, causing the floorboards to protest louder than usual when Mara's weight shifted on them.

Mara glanced out a window as she passed. It was mid-May, so light had already been gathering outside and Mara knew sunrise would soon come.

She finally reached the kitchen and opened the freezer. She let out a sigh of relief when the cold air hit her. She dug out a tub of chocolate ice cream and went to the cupboard to grab a bowl.

"Well…the queen of ice is eating ice cream. Why doesn't this surprise me?"

Mara jumped at the sound of his voice, almost dropping the bowl she was clutching.

"Relax, Mara. It's just me." Jerome said, chuckling as Mara turned around.

She got out a scooped and started piling ice cream into her bowl while she spoke. "I'm sorry I'm a little jumpy. I wasn't expecting anyone else to be awake this late." She said. "By the way, why _are_ you awake?"

"Why are _you_ awake?" He countered, raising an eyebrow.

Mara's heart fluttered in her ribcage but she pushed that too the back of her mind, determined to act normal around him. "I was studying." She said defensively and grabbed a spoon for her ice cream.

Jerome smirked and ruffled her hair with his hand. "Only you, Mara."

"Only me _what_?"

"Only _you,_" Jerome dipped his finger into her ice cream and swiped it onto the tip of her nose. "Would stay up late to _study_. Really, Mara." He shook his head in mock disgust.

Mara frowned and dug her spoon into the ice cream bowl. "Well, you never answered me. Why _are_ you up?" She pulled back the tip of her spoon, aimed it at Jerome's chest and released, sending ice cream flying at him.

Jerome rolled his eyes and opened up the refrigerator while he replied. "Looking for you."

Mara was taken aback. Her brow furrowed for a moment, and her voice was full of surprise when she responded, "Really?"

Jerome turned to face her with a smirk and open bottle of chocolate syrup. "No."

He squeezed the bottle and the syrup splattered around the room, the majority hitting Mara in the face.

Mara wiped off her face with a towel and grinned. "You'll pay for that!"

She ran to the fridge while dodging the syrup and grabbed a bottle of soda. She shook it vigorously, directed it at Jerome and untwisted the cap.

Orange soda and chocolate syrup streamed across the room, dousing their targets.

Mara laughed as she sprinted out of the kitchen and into the common room. She continued to fire as Jerome chased after her.

She suddenly felt her foot tug behind her and she fell forwards, catching herself with her wrist.

Jerome's laughter ceased when he saw her and he quickly rushed to her aid.

"Are you okay, Mara?" Jerome asked, while helping her up into a sitting position.

"Yeah, I think so." She replied. "It's just a little pain."

"What hurts?"

"My wrist." Mara held out her right wrist which looked rather limp.

Jerome took it in his hand and tenderly turned it in different directions, trying to find where it hurt. He turned it to the left and Mara let out a sharp yelp of pain.

Jerome placed a finger over her lips. "I know your wrist hurts, Mara, but you have to be quiet or you'll wake Victor."

Mara nodded, suddenly realizing how close his face was to hers. She could count the different beautiful shades of clue in his eyes.

He moved his finger away and tucked a lock of Mara's hair behind her ear.

Mara leaned, leaving barely a centimeter between their lips.

"This is wrong. I…I have a boyfriend." She whispered.

"The heart wants what the heart wants, Mara." Jerome replied.

Mara couldn't remember who it was or how long it was until it happened, but someone closed the gap. Their lips met tentatively. The world spun around them but they were anchored there by each other's lips. The kiss consumed them and a longing for more burned in their throats.

It was over to quickly, both of them had wanted the moment to last forever. They sat there in silence for a minute, catching their breath.

"You…you should probably take a shower and get to bed. You're still covered in chocolate syrup." Jerome said, as he stood up. He held out a hand to help her up.

"You might want to do the same." Mara said with a laugh. She took his hand and winced a little when it put pressure on her wrist. She stood up but continued to hold his hand.

"Are you sure your wrist will be okay?" He asked, looking at her hand that was entwined with his.

"Yeah, I probably just bent it the wrong way or something."

"If you say so. Goodnight, Mara." He whispered before placing a light kiss on her forehead and slipped out of the room.

Mara looked after him and touched her forehead where his lips had grazed.

She sighed and whispered, "Goodnight, Jerome."

**Author's Notice: Hi! This is my first ever fanfiction, and one-shot so I would really appreciate reviews on how it was. I really love writing, but I'm not sure if I'm very good. I would love feedback on how it was. Please, please let me know.**

**-Theatregirl7**


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